Four [forms] of capital punishment were given over to the courts: stoning, burning, decapitation, and strangulation. Rabbi Shimon says, burning, stoning, strangulation, and decapitation. This is the law [i.e. procedure] concerning those to be stoned.

The law [i.e. procedure] concerning those to be burned [is as follows]: They would set him into manure up to his knees, and put a stiff scarf inside a soft one, and wrap it around his neck. One would pull [one end] towards him and one would pull [the other end] towards him, until he [who was being executed] opened his mouth. Then [one] would light a wick and throw it into his mouth, and it would descend into his bowels and burn his entrails. Rabbi Yehudah says, if he died by their hands [e.g. were he strangled by the cloth], they would not have fulfilled the commandment of [execution by] burning; rather [the procedure should be carried out as follows]: they open his mouth with pincers by force, and light the wick, and throw it into his mouth, and it would descend into his bowels and burn his entrails. Rabbi Eliezer ben Tzadok said, there was once a priest's daughter who committed adultery; they placed bundles of branches around her and burned her. The [Sages] said to him, [this happened] because the court at that time was not expert.

The law [i.e. procedure] concerning those to be decapitated [is as follows]: they would cut off his head with a sword as the government does. Rabbi Yehudah says, this is disgraceful; rather [the procedure should be carried out as follows]: they rest his head on a block and cut it with a hatchet. The [Sages] said to him, there is no death more disgraceful than that. The law [i.e. procedure] concerning those to be strangled [is as follows]: They would set him into manure up to his knees, and put a stiff scarf inside a soft one, and wrap it around his neck. One would pull [one end] towards him and one would pull [the other end] towards him, until his soul departed.

These are [executed by] stoning: [a male] who sleeps with his mother, with the wife of his father, with his daughter-in-law, with a male, [or] with an animal; a woman who causes an animal to sleep with her; the blasphemer; the idolater; one who gives of his children to Molekh [a particular form of idolatry], the ba'al 'ov [necromancer] and yid'oni [soothsayer]; one who desecrates the Sabbath; one who curses his father or mother; one who sleeps with a betrothed maiden; the mesit [one who entices an individual to commit idolatry]; the mediach [one who entices a city to commit idolatry]; the sorcerer; and the wayward and rebellious son. One who sleeps with his mother - [he] is liable [for violating two prohibitions, for the prohibition of sleeping with his] mother and for [the prohibition of sleeping with] his father's wife. Rabbi Yehudah says, he is only liable for [sleeping with] his mother. One who sleeps with his father's wife- [he] is liable for his father's wife and for a married woman, whether [the act occurs] in his father's lifetime or after his father's death, whether [she is his father's wife] through betrothal or through completed marriage. One who sleeps with his daughter-in-law- [he] is liable for his daughter-in-law and for a married woman, whether in his sons's lifetime or after his son's death, whether [she is his son's wife] through betrothal or through completed marriage. One who sleeps with a male or with an animal, or a woman who causes an animal to sleep with her- [even] if a person has sinned, how has the animal sinned [such that it also receives execution by stoning]? Rather, since [the animal] caused a person to commit an offense, Scripture therefore said, [the animal] should be stoned. Another explanation: [the animal is stoned] so that the animal not be passing through the market-place and [lead people to] say, "This is the one that caused so-and-so to be stoned."

The blasphemer - [he] is not liable until he [explicitly] utters the name [of God]. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korchah said, every day the witnesses testify using a substitute name [in place of the actual Divine Name uttered by the blasphemer]: "May Yossi smite Yossi." Once the verdict has been reached, they would not execute [the defendant] [on the basis of testimony] using a substitute name. Rather, [the judges] send everyone outside, and inquire of the greatest [witness] among them, saying to him: "State explicitly what you heard," and he states [the blasphemy verbatim]. And the judges stand upon their feet and render [their clothing]. And they may not [ever] mend [the rendered clothing]. And the second [witness] says, "I also [heard] like him," and the third [witness] says, "I also [heard] like him."

The idolator - [this includes the following:] one who worships, sacrifices, offers incense, pours libations, bows, accepts it as a god, and one who says to it, "You are my god." But one who embraces, kisses, sweeps, sprinkles, washes, anoints, dresses, or puts shoes on it, [merely] transgresses a negative commandment [that does not warrant capital punishment]. One who takes a vow in its name or takes an oath in its name [merely] transgresses a negative commandment [that does not warrant capital punishment]. One who relieves himself to Ba'al Be'or [is liable, for] such is its worship. One who throws a stone at Merkulis [is liable, for] such is its worship.

One who gives of his children to Molekh - he is not liable until he gives over [the child] to Molekh and passes [the child] through the fire. [If he] gave over [the child] to Molekh, but did not pass [the child] through the fire; [or he] passed [the child] through the fire, but did not give [the child] over to Molekh, the man is not liable; [for he is not liable] until he gives over [the child] and passes [the child] through the fire. A ba'al 'ov- this is the magician who [causes the dead] to speak from his armpit; a yid'oni- this is the one who [causes the dead] to speak through his own mouth. These are executed by stoning, and one who consults them is [merely liable for] a negative commandment [that does not warrant capital punishment].

One who desecrates the Sabbath- through an act for which a wanton violation renders him liable to spiritual excision, and a violation in error obligates him [to sacrifice] a sin-offering. One who curses his mother or father- he is not liable unless he curses them using the name [of God]. If he curses them using a substitute name, Rabbi Meir [maintains he is] liable, but the Sages exempt him.

One who sleeps with a betrothed maiden- he is not liable unless she is a maiden, a virgin, betrothed, and in her father's household. If two sleep with her, the first is [executed] by stoning, and the second is [executed] by strangulation.

The mesit - this is a layman who entices a layman, saying to him, "There is a deity in such-and-such place; it eats thus, it drinks thus, it does good thus, it does evil thus." [Regarding] all [transgressions that] incur capital punishment in the Torah, we do not conceal [witnesses to coax the defendant into transgressing], except for this one. If he said [i.e. enticed] to two, they are his witnesses, and they bring him to court and stone him. If he said to one, [the witness] says, "I have friends who are interested." If [the mesit] is cunning and cannot speak before them, they conceal witnesses behind the fence, and [the original witness] says to [the mesit], "Say [again] what you said to me in seclusion." [If] this one [the mesit] says it to him, [the witness] says, "How can we forsake our God in Heaven and go and worship wood and stone!" If [the mesit] retracts, all is good [i.e. he is not culpable]. [But] if he says, "This is our obligation and this is good for us," those standing behind the fence bring him to court and stone him. One who says [any of the following is liable as a mesit:], "I will serve"; "I will go and I will serve"; "we will go and we will serve"; "I will sacrifice"; "I will go and I will sacrifice"; "we will go and we will sacrifice"; "I will offer incense"; "I will go and I will offer incense"; "we will go and we will offer incense"; "I will pour libations"; "I will go and I will pour libations"; "we will go and we will pour libations," "I will bow"; "I will go and I will bow"; "we will go and we will bow." The mediach - this is one who says, "We will go and we will worship idols."

The sorcerer - if he does an act of sorcery, he is liable, but not one who [merely] tricks the eyes. Rabbi Akiva says in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua, two people harvesting cucumbers, one harvests and is liable, while the other harvests and is exempt. The one who [gathers the cucumbers through] an act of sorcery is liable, [while] the one who [gathers cucumbers in the natural manner and merely] tricks the eyes is exempt.